Jealousy
by TweedleBugQueen
Summary: Mary and Gray have been best friends for years. Mary has loved Gray ever since he came to town, but when a new farmer comes to town will Mary be able to show Gray how much she cares about him? Or will she be forced to move on? Rated T for safety NO SLASH!
1. Where It All Began

Hey guys! I know it's been a while, and for that I'm sorry. My laptop has just been fixed! So my stories are now up and running again. This is my first published story on Harvest Moon: More Friends Of Mineral Town. So please just give me some credit. This is a document that has been sitting on my computer for some time now but due to my laptop being incapable of cooperating with me, I was unable to publish it. I will be continuing with my other story that is up and running about Fred and Hermione (Harry Potter)  
Thank you so much for your patience!  
~Tweedlebugqueen

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**Jealousy**

**Chapter One: The Day We Met**

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There were three things that I absolutely loved about living in Mineral Town.

I loved the library. I enjoyed reading above all things, and I hoped to be a novelist one day. It wasn't considered a big dream, considering I had already written one novel as it was. But the dream was mine, and only mine. I was going to hold on to it, and I was never going to let my dream die.

I loved my parents, they kept me grounded. Sometimes I would fly into another world with my reading, and forget to live in the present. They had raised me and taken care of me my whole life. My dad, Basil, was a steadfast worker. He loved plants the same way I loved books, they would be his whole life if he didn't have me and my mom. My mom was wonderful too, she gave cooking classes on Saturday mornings, she helped me with all my troubles, and she took care of my father and I in ways only a mother could.

And then there was Gray.

What other word could I use to describe my feelings for him besides love? I caught my breath whenever he walked into a room, whenever someone said his name I looked around, hoping he would be there, my memory would always be able to remember his laugh.

I remember the day we met vividly. I hadn't lived in Mineral Town but a year when he arrived. I was fourteen, he was sixteen and was beginning an apprenticeship for his grandfather, Siabara, the blacksmith.

I had been down at the beach that day, reading again. I liked listening to the waves roll off the sand like they did whilst I read. The dock had always been empty, as far back as I could remember, but that day it had been different. A boat had come along and pulled up next to it, a sailorman had jumped off the edge and tied a rope to a wooden post to secure it. Naturally, I had been interested. At fourteen years old, you generally don't just ignore it when you feel like something big is happening right in front of you.

I just hadn't expected a sixteen year old boy to jump down after the sailorman.

I hadn't known his name then, I only knew that he was to be the blacksmith's apprentice. He was the first boy I had ever been attracted to. I mean, in our town there were two young men that were remotely close to my age: Trent, the doctor's son and Rick, the poultry farmer's son. I had never even considered them as cute.

I was fascinated by this new boy. He didn't look very muscular, but I knew that would change if he was to be Siabara's apprentice. He had what looked like short, sandy blonde hair, but it was covered with a blue and white UMA cap paired with cut off jeans and a t-shirt.

When I was younger, I would have told my mother countless times how this would look in a romance novel. Boy meets girl, girl likes boy, boy just wants to be friends, eventually they fall in love and lead a wonderful romance. To a fourteen year old girl, (going on fifteen) it had to happen. How could it not?

Part of that came true within weeks, steps one through three happened in the blink of an eye.

It was a tuesday, the market was closed. Normally, I would have gone and gotten a new hammer for my father there, like I always did when his broke. Dad never knew that I always just bought him a new one, so when the market was closed, I had no choice but to take his old one to Siabara and have it repaired instead.

I remember feeling happy on my walk to the blacksmith's, I would get to catch a glimpse of Gray. According to Popuri, he had graduated from athletic looking, to having sizeable muscles. I don't know how she knew, maybe she spoke with him on her way to the mountain spring every morning when they crossed paths. Maybe she peered at him through her window when he was leaving work every afternoon. Maybe she ran into him at a town festival. I wouldn't know, I rarely ever went to festivals.

But I was feeling anxious all the same. I had wanted to dress nicely, but I knew that would raise suspicion with my parents. '_Since when did our Mary ever do her hair_?' they would think. Or perhaps, '_Why in the world does Mary have one of her best blouses on_?' So I couldn't do that.

Suddenly, as though it had just barely happened, I was in front of the blacksmith's. I didn't want to go in now, I didn't know why. Just a moment ago I had been excited to see Gray again (that was his name, according to Ann).

When I remembered that I was actually here _for_ something, and that my father would get angry if he knew I was too scared to go inside the same shop I had _supposedly_ gone to every time his hammer needed repairing, I decided I had best go inside and get it over with. Before I knew what I was doing, I heard the shop bell ring, and I was inside the blacksmith's.

They were arguing, I had never known that they argued. It seemed as though Siabara was upset with Gray, for burning himself!

"I didn't mess the order up, you daft old man! I only burnt my hand!"

"A rookie mistake! If you had been paying attention to your work it would never have happened! Do you want to be a blacksmith or not?" Siabara was saying.

"I don't even know anymore! You only yell at me! I'm trying as best I can!" Gray shouted back.

I guessed I had come at a wrong time, but the second I turned to leave was when Siabara decided to notice my presence.

"Oh, don't leave! I was just helping my apprentice with his work, I'm sorry if we frightened you." he apologized.

"It's okay." I said meekly, "I just needed a repair."

"Come in, girl, come in! Let's see what we can do for you!" he boomed.

I set the hammer carefully on the front counter, brushing Gray's arm slightly.

"Watch it!" he snapped.

I shrank away from him.

"Gray! Never speak to a customer in such a rude manner! Let alone a lady!" Siabara scolded.

"I'm sorry, miss." he muttered, picking up the tool which he had dropped.

I nodded my head, but knew he hadn't seen it. "Are you hurt?" I said.

"It's nothing." he rolled down his sleeve to cover the burn.

"But you're bleeding!"

I ignored Siabara, who was trying to ask me what I needed repairing, and ripped the hem off of my skirt.

"No! You don't have to ruin your - "

"Hush! You just let me tie this around your arm!" I said.

Surprisingly, he stopped talking and rolled up his sleeve, allowing me to secure the makeshift bandage around his forearm.

"There," I said, satisfied, "that should hold until you can put some antiseptic on it. Burns are really dangerous, you know."

"Thank you." he muttered.

Siabara chuckled behind us, "When you're a blacksmith you get used to it! Now, what do you need repaired?"

I smiled shyly back at Gray before turning back to the counter, "This is my father's hammer. I don't know how he managed to break it this morning, but somehow he split the top of it in two."

Siabara clicked his tongue in understanding, "_Tut, tut_." he said, "Maybe he doesn't know how to properly use a hammer?"

I repressed the urge to roll my eyes, "He's a biologist, and a geologist as well. He works with rocks, his hammer needs repairs all the time."

"Why is this the first time it has been brought to me?" Siabara asked.

"Normally, I just go and purchase a new one at the market."

I could have sworn I heard a chuckle behind me, but when I looked back Gray had a look of complete seriousness on his face.

"You know, I could always make him an _improved_ hammer. One that won't break as easily. The equipment that the market has stocked is hardly good enough for anyone who has devoted their life to a career involving tools. If he would like to pay just a little more, I could upgrade this hammer to copper or silver. If he was really ready to go the extra mile, I could fasten it from gold or adamantite. A hammer made of those ores would be next to impossible to break the same way this poor tool has been." Siabara informed me. He spoke about the hammer as if it had delicate feelings.

Father hadn't told me that he had _never_ been to see Siabara before. Surely if he had, he would have told me exactly what he wanted. "I . . . uh . . ." I trailed off.

"Perhaps Gray could walk you home and you could ask him yourself? If you forget anything I just said, he could repeat it back for you. He hears it enough every day." Siabara said.

"Um, sure. I suppose that would be good. Do you want me to just leave the hammer here, or would you like me to take it with me?"

"No no, my dear, this hammer needs to be melted back together, you would need it to be here either way. Anyways, Gray will give your father the prices he needs when he walks you to your home. You should probably go now." and with that he turned around to record something in his storebook.

When I turned around, Gray was already shrugging into his jacket. "Shall we?" he asked me.

I blushed and gathered my fall jacket around me. "I guess."

We walked the first few steps in silence before Gray finally said anything. "So where do you live, anyway?"

"Uh . . . I live right beside Ellen and Thomas, on the same street as the market, but on the corner. Not the corner where the church is though, the corner that we're heading to now, the one just past Aja Winery." I knew I was babbling out of nervousness, but it seemed I just couldn't stop myself.

"Hmm. . . ." he trailed off.

"I don't know hardly any of the townspeople you know." he said, "I think you're the first person besides Doug and Ann that I have spoken to. Well, that is if you don't count my grandfather."

"Siabara is your grandfather?" I asked in astonishment.

Gray looked at me from out of the corner of his eye, "Yes, he is. He took me in a few weeks ago when my parents decided I needed to find a line of work. I was somewhat interested in becoming a blacksmith, so they sent me here to work with him." he said.

"Well then why do you stay at the Inn?" I asked.

Gray was quiet again. "I'm sorry, it's really none of my business." I gushed. "No! No, I was just thinking about my family. I stay at the Inn because he is too lazy to set a bed up for me in his room. Either that or he thinks I'm going to burn him with a flaming hot iron in the middle of the night. Can't say I blame him for worrying about it, we do argue a lot."

When he realized that I didn't understand he was joking, he winked at me. "City humor. Don't worry, you'll catch on."

From that point on, Gray was my best friend, and he later told me that I was his as well. I was fourteen and he was sixteen. Two years wasn't a big deal in my book, I forever hoped that he would someday give me cookies on Thanksgiving Day, or that he would invite me to the Starry Night festival with him. It never happened, the closest I got to sharing anything with him that was considered romantic was sitting on a blanket at the beach watching fireworks during the Fireworks Festival. And even that was a stretch, everyone in Mineral Town knew that Gray and I were best friends, inseperable. There was nothing romantic going on there, and as far as anyone else knew, there never would be. But still, I hoped.

It wasn't like we were suddenly best friends or anything, Gray was a very curious boy. He wanted to know about my past, my parents and home life. After that he wanted to know about the town and what the people were like. When he felt more comfortable around me he shared his hobbies and interests with me. I was astonished to know that he enjoyed reading, it made me feel happy to know that we had at least one thing in common.

"It's a shame this town doesn't have a library," he said one day, "I would go there after work and read, the quiet is just what I need after a day with _him_."

I giggled, he never said Siabara's name, just 'him' and it amused me. I sighed, "Yes, a library would be nice."

"You should open one."

My eyes widened. What had he just said? "You want me to open a library?"

"Sure," he shrugged, "you love books more than anyone I've ever met, and you have plenty of them. I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to get book donations from other people as well, you know? You could put a notice on the bulletin board asking for old book donations that the townspeople don't want anymore."

For once, he surprised me. I thought that after all the time we had spent together over the past few weeks, I would know him better than this. I had no idea he had faith in me for anything, to believe I could open my own library was amazing to me.

"If I had a building to put it in, I would try my best to open a library." I said.

He grinned at me, "Maybe in a few years."

"Yes," I agreed, "that could work. My parents would never let me run a business at fourteen, let alone own my own establishment of books."

"You'd be better than any other person, Mary."

I hadn't anticipated the feeling of warmth that washed over me that day, I hadn't an idea as to what it was or what it meant, but I knew I liked it. Later, I found that feeling creeping down my spine every time that Gray said my name. He made me happier just by saying 'Mary' than saying anything else to me.

This was my weakness, and ultimately, the cause of my pain.

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**A/N:** So what do you guys think? Good, bad?  
Here's the thing. Authors really take hours of thought and deliberation to provide you with wonderful (depending on the reader's opinion) and entertaining literature. I know that you may roll your eyes when we ask for reviews, I know this because I used to do it! But in all honesty, it really does motivate us. I have discontinued many stories before because I got hardly any reviews telling me that my story was worthwhile.  
PLUS I really do like it when I get reviews telling me what I could improve on or what you think is going to happen next! So PLEASE review!  
I MEAN IT!  
Thank you so much everyone!  
~ Tweedlebugqueen(:


	2. A Novel And An Interference

Hey guys! It's been a week and I have another chapter for you! I really enjoyed writing it, and I hope that you enjoy reading it! (: I really think that this will be the first story that I'll finish. It's just fun to write and it's less complicated than other stories that I've started. I really need a break from writing really complicated, dramatic things /:  
Thank you guys so much for reading! I really appreciate it!  
~Tweedlebugqueen

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**Jealousy**

**Chapter Two: A Novel And An Interference**

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It had been three years since Gray and I had met, and I didn't think I had a crush on him anymore. I thought it was much more than that. I thought I loved him.

On my sixteenth birthday, I had hoped that Gray would suddenly realize that the age difference didn't mean much anymore, that a sixteen year old and an eighteen year old wouldn't be looked down upon if a relationship started. I honestly think that a lot of the gossiping women in the town thought that it would. I did too.

I had dreams about Gray at night, I couldn't stop myself from hoping that they would come true. I dreamt of him taking my face in his hands. He told me he loved me, that he would never let me go. I dreamt that he kissed me, softly, trying not to hurt me. As if he could ever intentionally hurt me anyway, I told myself. I was right, Gray would never hurt me on purpose.

But alas, my dreams never came true that year. With each passing day my birthday came closer, and I deluded myself into thinking that something could finally happen between Gray and I that would alter our relationship forever.

December twentieth, that was the day I was born nearly seventeen years previously, and I was excited for the anniversary. That was what it was, wasn't it? The anniversary of my life? I hadn't ever really viewed it as one before, I don't think anyone has really ever thought about it, but I knew that's what it was. And I thought that anniversaries like this were generally good. I didn't have a reason to hate my birthday, it wasn't an occasion of sadness for me.

Though last year hadn't been filled with despair, it had been filled with false hope, which made me anxious about my birthday this year that much more. I didn't want to hope for anything again, because I had no convincing basis for the hope. Gray never treated me as anything more than a friend. I think it was my feelings for him, and the dreams I kept having that made me think there was something to hope for. I hadn't realized that if I never treated him differently, made it look like _I_ had feelings that would compromise our friendship, that he may never have seen me that way. How stupid and naive I had been back then.

I had finally managed to convince my parents that we didn't need a yard anymore. My father did all of his work on the Mother's Hill and I rarely spent time in it. With a little convincing, and a lot of hard work to convince my mother, my parents finally agreed that we could build a library for me off of the side of our home.

Gotz had agreed to build it for me, and Gray had helped him with most of it. He insisted that I just stand back and watch it happen, women should have these sort of things done for them. Apparently, I was too fragile to throw on a pair of overalls and pour some cement for a foundation, or lift boards of wood to frame the floor and ceilings, and I was much too delicate to help lay bricks for the exterior and interior walls. At least, that was what Gray had convinced himself. I was to be the fragile little book reader forever.

It was where we were sitting, the library. It was fully equipped with books, desks, and comfortable lazy chairs now. Gray was in his corner, as usual. He was reading the novel I had just finished writing. I hadn't heard him move for over an hour, he was intent in his reading.

I couldn't sit still, I was fidgeting and couldn't concentrate on anything but my worries. '_How would he like it_?' I thought. '_Would he be repulsed by it_?' Or, I even worried, would he even realize that I had based the two main characters from life?

I had finished writing it a month ago, it had taken me ages. Nearly eight whole seasons, almost two years. It was a romance novel, Gray's favorite kind. I remember being shocked when he told me that was his favorite genre, but after getting to know him more, I saw it in his eyes. Gray loved romance, he wanted to be the knight in shining armor that was so often portrayed in novels.

Never had I expected to be so surprised by him. I thought I had gotten to know Gray so well, but I realized later on in our friendship that it hadn't been the case. I mean, of course I knew him, better than anyone else. And still, he always managed to surprise me somehow, making decisions I never would have guessed him to make.

The two main characters weren't entirely based on real life, only one of them. The leading male role was almost entirely based off of Gray, almost to the point were only his looks and profession were different than himself.

The leading female role was completely different than I, though. She was strong willed and fiesty, she was demanding and independant, she could fend for herself, and she didn't need a man to keep her grounded. It was almost to the point where she became annoying, and in a way, I wished I could be like her. Towards the end of the story, the male lead had changed her. She became softer, and more sensitive. She let her guard down and he realized that it was all a facade, she was sensitive and broken hearted. He mended her.

It was the exact kind of book that Gray was always telling me about. The classic story. I remember one conversation that we had where Gray was confessing his wishes to me. He had told me that he was tired of the girl always being portrayed as weak or love struck to the point of obsession. I really tried to make my character as outgoing and independant as possible. I wanted to write the book that Gray longed for, the book that he could not find on any other shelf.

You could have called me love struck, said I was a naive little girl with little sense as to what love really is, I didn't care. At the time, it seemed romantic enough to me. I had only ever experienced love and what it was supposed to be through literature. I had never seen real romance first hand, it wasn't as if my parents were very public about their feelings for one another. When I was small, I used to question why they were married at all. But I knew now that my mother and father had deep and strong emotions for one another. Somehow, to me, that made it more romantic than if they showed their affection for one another in front of other people, especially me. But because I had never seen my parents show any physical attraction to one another, I hardly had a sense of what love was _really_ supposed to be like.

I had read more romance novels than any other genre of literature. I knew how to write a love scene, I knew how to write a wedding, I knew how to write a lot of things, more than you would think. A girl my age wasn't supposed to know too much about love, but because I was so enthralled with books, I knew. I didn't know the inner workings of a marriage, I didn't read novels like _that_, but I knew how people fell in love. I was in love with Gray, and I just wrote my feelings as my character's feelings. It seemed right to me.

The last twenty pages of my novel were being read by my best friend, the one boy I truly loved. His opinion was the only one I really valued when it came to this piece of work, because it was for him. If nothing else showed my true love for Gray, that book did. And I was proud of it, immensely. I could sing it to the world if I had the guts.

I had always been shy, and I had never been very outspoken. It was what scared me when Gray had confided his love of a strong willed heroine character in romance novels. I wasn't the independant girl that he yearned for whilst reading. I was the Mary-Sue character, the girl who was hopelessly in love but quiet and shy about my feelings. He had openly expressed to me that he was tired of characters like that.

Is that how he saw me?

Honestly, I hoped not. I hoped that he would see me as delicate and soft, hoped he would feel a strong need to just protect me and hold me close to him. I wanted to seem like the breakable girl that all the boys fell for and all the girls envied for her simple yet refined looks. With my raven-black hair that cascaded down my back, never done up nicely, and my soft brown eyes I was well on my way to those simple looks to be envied. I never wore jeans, overalls were never to be seen on me. I knew that Gray would protect me, if he did anything else for me. I only needed his love, and then my fantasy would be a reality.

It wouldn't be until much later that I would learn that fantasies and realities were two completely different things. If you get too lost in one, the other would cancel out and account for nothing. With girls like me, fantasies rarely became realities, because the fantasies were so far fetched that you didn't feel that reality was even really happening, you thought that your fantasy was more real than it really was. That was what scared me. At the time, I didn't realize how immersed I was in fiction than reality. Now that I could look back on it, I realized how I could have done things differently, and how they would have effected me in the long run.

I was so lost in thought, that I didn't even hear Gray close the manuscript, didn't see him get up from his chair, didn't feel him touch my shoulder. I heard him clear his throat, and jumped. I was so surprised to see him right behind me that I nearly fell out of my chair in astonishment.

I realized I was shaking, "Well?"

He hesitated. _Oh no! He hates it_, I thought to myself.

He shuffled his feet, "It was really good."

His ears had turned bright red . . . He liked it? "You thought it was good." I said.

He tugged on the bill of his hat, "Not just good, phenomenal. I have never read anything that I loved more than what I just read."

I couldn't stop myself from smiling, "Really? You mean it?"

"Yeah," he peered at me, "it felt like you were speaking directly to the audience. I felt like I was a part of the story."

"That was my goal." I beamed, he felt like he was a part of the story!

He blushed again, "I especially liked the heroine, she was wonderful."

"I remembered you telling me that you didn't like the weak hearted heroines, the Mary-Sue characters."

His eyes widened as he looked up at me, "You wrote that because of my suggestion?"

Now this worried me, "Did you not want me to?"

"No! I'm honored! I really don't think you understand just how much I loved that book. It was awesome! You need to have it published, and send me a signed copy." he grinned his billion dollar smile at me.

"You will be the first person to recieve a copy!" I smiled.

He grinned.

"I'm glad you like it."

"Very much."

He was still smiling at me. Gray had never smiled at me so much, ever. It made me worry whether he knew or not. . . .

"So, first my birthday and then yours!" he beamed.

I smiled back at him, grateful for the change of topic, "I know, I'm so excited! But I haven't the faintest idea of what to get you!"

"Aw shucks, it's nothing. I'm only turning nineteen," he was downplaying it, big time.

"Nineteen is a big deal, Gray." I said, my hands on my waist, "It's your last year of official teen-hood. After this year, you'll be an adult!"

That was weird for me to think about. I would be eighteen when he would be twenty. . . .

He readjusted his hat, "That's insane, I can't believe I've been alive for nineteen years, it feels like it should be longer."

"Longer?"

He shuffled his feet, "Yeah, I feel like I've been alive longer than that. You know?"

"Not really," I said.

He sighed, "That's just because you are happy right now."

_If only he knew how unhappy I was when I went another day without him telling me he loved me_, I thought to myself. I decided it was better to not reply to his statement.

"You are happy, aren't you?" he asked.

"Oh, mostly. But everyone has their moments, you know?"

He just stared at me for a moment, then hesitated, "Yes, actually. I do."

Our eyes locked for a long time. Neither one of us looked away. I felt like I was staring into his blue eyes and seeing the inner workings of his soul. I had never felt that way before. My brain told me to look away, that it was rude to stare at him that way. My heart told me different, it argued that I was not the only one staring. . . .

I hoped that this was the moment, the one I had been waiting for. He was so close, I waited for him to lean in. He seemed so close to my face.

Was it just me or had the room suddenly gotten hotter? Like someone had turned up the heat. I could feel his warm breath on my face, and I was sure that he was going to. He moved forwards by just a millimeter, and I closed my eyes. . . .

The Harvest Goddess must have been out to get me, because in the moment just before our lips met, I heard the bell above the library door tingle loudly.

Gray jumped, and he yanked his hand away from mine. I hadn't even realized that we had been holding hands, and now I was sad that mine was alone.

It was just Doctor Trent. I forgot that it was a wednesday. It seemed like he was oblivious to what he had just interrupted. I was grateful for that, but upset that he had ruined the moment. I had never come that close to my first kiss in my life, and now the moment was gone. I couldn't believe that it had even happened at all.

Doctor Trent hung his lab coat on the coat rack and nodded towards me before heading up the stairs. He was always so quiet, and patient. I had never been sick, but I had heard that he was an excellent doctor as well, he was kind to his patients. Mineral Town was lucky to have a doctor like him.

I looked to where Gray had been a moment before, but he wasn't there. He was back in his corner reading a book that he seemed to have just randomly pulled from a shelf. I didn't think that Gray was interested in the prices for crops, he didn't run a farm.

There were three farms that resided in Mineral Town. There was the Poultry Farm, Yodel Farm was a farm owned by an elderly man named Barley, where he raised cows and sheep, and another farm which was completely abandoned and miserably unkempt.

I didn't know the man who had lived at the abandoned farm before. He had died before I was born. It was rumored that when he died there, he was ashamed that he hadn't finished harvesting his crops for the end of the year. He was so upset and ashamed that he now haunted the farm. After he had been dead for a while, the teenage children started telling ghost stories about him to their younger siblings.

When Gray first came here, he, Ann, and I would dare each other to stay a whole night in the farmhouse. It was a ridiculous dare, no one would want to stay in the bed that the previous owner had died in. But Gray always accepted and walked into the house when the sun would set. I never believed he stayed though, I suspected that he snuck back into the Inn through his bedroom window once he was sure the town was asleep. I didn't know if Ann had the same thought as I did.

Ann was Gray's friend before mine. I had never really known her growing up, but she seemed like a nice enough girl. Sometimes Gray would invite her along with us when he felt like she was bored. He was so kind, and generous too. I wondered why he had never fancied any of the girls in town before. Maybe he was just really good at hiding his emotions.

It was stupid of me, but even after what had just happened, I wondered what his feelings were for me. Did he like me? Or did he love me? I wondered if I would ever know.

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**A/N:** So . . . how did you like it? Good, bad? Let me know in a review! All it takes is one click of that little green button down there and you make my day! Hours of writing, seconds to review. I want to know what I did wrong, what I did right, and what you predict will happen in the next chapter! What will happen in the next chapter . . . ? The world may never know. . . . XD Just kidding!  
Thank you so much everyone!  
~ Tweedlebugqueen(:


	3. Almosts, Bumps, and Thoughts

**A/N: **Hey guys! I _realize_ how long it's been since I last updated. I'm sorry, I really am. And I do realize how frustrating it is. I meant to upload this chapter a week before the last one. In fact, I actually already had it done at the same time as the last one was posted. I probably shouldn't have confessed that to you . . . I can see the tomatoes flying towards my face now! Just kidding (:  
But I really do feel guilty. I should have had this up a week after the last one. And now it's been months! Shame on me.  
So enjoy! Review! Rate? Haha wait, that's only on YouTube. :P

- Tweedlebugqueen

* * *

**Jealousy**

**Chapter Three: Almosts, Bumps, and Thoughts**

* * *

The rest of the day passed in silence. Gray acted as if we hadn't even been near enough to each other to hold hands, let alone nearly kiss. I wondered if he was embarassed, or if he had even really wanted to. Perhaps he had just gone on an impulse, and nearly kissed me out of the feeling of the moment. I hoped that wasn't the case.

At four o clock I reminded Gray that it was time for me to close the library. I didn't need to remind Doctor Trent, he was always downstairs and out the door on the dot. I hardly ever had to ask him to leave anymore.

So when Doctor Trent didn't come down the stairs on time I got a little anxious. I didn't want to disturb him if he was immersed in a good field journal of my father's composition, but I couldn't let him break the rules either.

At five to four I decided it was time to remind him to put the books back by author, and not by title.

When I was up the stairs I could have sworn I heard someone sniffle. I peered around the row of books carefully to see what was the matter. Doctor Trent was sitting in the most comfortable lazy chair available upstairs, his nose in a very emotional book.

Now I really didn't want to interrupt him. He was obviously upset by what he was reading, how could I ask him to leave without feeling uncomfortable? I shifted my weight from one hip to the other, accidentally hitting the bookshelf next to me. A book fell off of the shelf above me.

"Ouch!" I groaned as it hit me on the head.

In a moment I felt someone's cool fingers on my forehead. "Are you alright?"

I looked up at Doctor Trent, "Yes, it's just a bump." I managed.

He was still feeling where the book had hit me, "That was an encyclopedia, you know. It was one of the more heavier ones too. It must have hit you hard."

"Ouch." I said again.

"Would you like me to look at that for you?" he asked softly.

"No, there's really no need. I think it will be fine." I gushed.

He looked at me and removed his hands, "If you're sure. . . ." he trailed off.

"Yes, I'm quite sure."

"Well, you should take some aspirin. Do you have any?" He bent over and picked up the encyclopedia that had hit me.

"Yes, I have some in the medicine cabinet at home, thank you."

I knew I was being rude, or as rude as someone like me could be. I had been uncomfortable enough even thinking about asking him to leave, and now he was feeling my forehead and asking me if I needed a prognosis or a diagnosis or something like that.

He returned the book to it's shelf, "Well, only take a few of them, don't overdose."

For once in my life I had to suppress the urge to roll my eyes. Did he take me for an idiot? Of course I was't stupid. Who had just written a novel? I had.

"Okay, thank you so much."

"Don't mention it." he said.

We stood there for a few moments, "Well, it's probably four by now, I need to close up." I reminded him.

"Oh, I'm sorry." he said, "I guess I just got so immersed in this book. . . . "

I saw the book he was trying to hide behind his back.

"You can check that out you know." I said.

He shuffled his feet, "Yeah, okay."

I reached for the book, and he handed it over reluctantly. He seemed embarassed by the title, but I wouldn't breathe a word of it to anyone. Especially if he didn't want me to. I wouldn't even do that if he _wasn't_ embarassed about it.

"I guess I could check it out for you right now before I close up." I said.

"Thank you very much." he replied.

_He was nice enough_, I thought to myself, _I just wish that I could have said goodbye to Gray._ . . .

"You know, this is actually a very good book." I mused, handing it back to him once I was finished checking it out for him.

He smiled, "I'm nearly to the end of it."

"I could tell." I mumbled.

I hadn't realized that he had heard me until I saw his ears turn red. "It is a very emotional book." I added.

"Yes, I have been enjoying it." he said.

I handed it to him, "Well that's due by the thirtieth."

"Thank you," he said, and he exited the library.

* * *

Things with Gray didn't get any better, as I had hoped they would. It seemed like that day in the library hadn't even happened to him. He didn't even mention another thing about my novel. He was, however, talking non-stop about our upcoming birthdays.

"Do you want to have a double party?" he asked me a week before his birthday.

"I dunno Gray, you're birthday is a really big deal and all . . . "

"So is yours! You're turning seventeen!"

"Ugh, don't say that!" I groaned, pushing his head away playfully. "I'm _old_."

"Are you making fun of me, woman?" he asked me.

"No."

He looked at me skeptically.

"Okay, maybe a little." I admitted.

Gray had really changed me. It didn't seem like it when you saw me, I was a very shy person. I had always been that way. But for once in my life I was able to be myself and open with someone else without my shyness getting in the way. It made me feel different. I didn't know how to explain it, but I was happy about it. I had a friend, a _best_ friend. Someone who knew my darkest of all secrets, even if there weren't that many, and I was positive that I knew his. I only had one secret from Gray, and that secret was obviously under lock and key in my heart.

"So it's decided then," he said, "A double party. This is going to be awesome!" he dragged the last word out so that it was nearly four syllables, which made me laugh.

I didn't remember having agreed to anything, but I figured I could just let him have his way. Just this one time though.

"It's probably a good thing too, since barely anyone would just come to one of our parties," he commented lightly. "We aren't exactly the socialites of the town." he added with a stage whisper.

"Really? I consider myself quite outgoing and flocked by all of the townsmen." I joked, which earned a laugh from Gray.

I smiled in triumph.

So we planned our double party. I didn't know that many people in town, and I didn't really care whether or not I had a party. If you had seen the look on Gray's face, as I had, you wouldn't have been able to refuse him either. He was overjoyed at the prospect of having a party. He had never had one before.

It only took a few days to plan it, and then we had the invitations drawn up. We were going to have the party a week after Gray's birthday, which would be just over a week before mine. The party would be halfway between the two birthdays, perfect timing. It would be a perfect day.

My mother was making the food, and the cake. I didn't care what she served, but she begged Gray to tell her his favorite foods (she already knew mine) and then agreed that she would serve baked corn, fried rice, hot milk, cocoa, and various sweets, most of them having chocolate in them of some variety.

Neither Gray nor I knew that many people in town, and we didn't want a big commotion about our party. It didn't matter though, the party became a magnet for gossip, as predicted by my father.

Manna had spread the word around Mineral Town before the invitations had even been sent out. Apparently, my dear mother had told her, and she had only stopped to tell Duke before spreading it around to everyone else.

I was too shy to tell anyone who came to my door that the party was by exclusive invitation only, and that it was for the youth of the town, mine and Gray's friends. Therefore, all the town thought that they were coming to the party. It was stressing me out to think of all the extra work that Gray and I would have to put into the event.

But my father saved me, he was so upset with Manna for not being able to keep her big mouth shut that he went to her himself and told her to uninvite the rest of the town. He told her and Duke that the party was by exclusive invitation only, and that they weren't invited and neither were the rest of the villagers that hardly knew. He had returned home red faced and irritable, shutting himself in his and my mother's bedroom for the rest of the night.

Gray was amused with the amount of drama resulting from our party, and the fact that I was so stressed out about it made him laugh even harder, I didn't understand it.

So when we finally sent out the invitations we were relieved. Hopefully the drama would be over for now, neither one of us was very outgoing and neither one of us wanted to be in the spotlight for any given amount of time.

We had invited Cliff, who was Gray's shy roomate, Ann, who helped run her father's Inn, Rick and Popuri, who were Lillia's children (she was good friends with my mother before an illness kept her at home nearly all the time), Doctor Trent, Elli, who was his trainee nurse, and Harris, who was my good friend and the mayor's son. I thought that was quite enough people for a party, and I was very glad that no one else would be coming.

Gray was even more excited than he had been when he had first suggested the party. Apparently, he was most looking forward to meeting new people. I had thought that he knew Harris, Trent, and Elli, but apparently not. I was rather excited too, I wanted to know Gray's friends better. Maybe we could spend more time together than we even did now, if that were even possible.

I didn't know Cliff that well, all I knew was that he was what my mother called a 'church bum' which basically meant that he was nearly broke, had no job, and practically lived with Pastor Carter at the church down the road.

Ann was a nice girl, though she was a little outspoken. She and her father, Doug, ran the Inn for the incoming traveller's or those who (like Gray or Cliff) just simply didn't have the money to pay for their own place to live. I supposed that she was a sweet girl, and she talked to me at most of the town festivals that I decided to go to, but she was a little noisy (and a bit of a spaz.)

Rick and Popuri were Lillia and Rod's children. Lillia had fallen ill a while back, and when her husband Rod found out that there was only one cure, he left to find it. No one had seen him since. It was quite the talk of the town when it happened, and the family seemed to think that one day he was coming back. I had no opinion on the matter, but no one else in town thought that Rod would ever come back. I hoped for his children that he did, it was cruel of him to abandon him like he had. Who even knew whether or not he had started a new family of his own? Who knew if he had any intentions of coming back?

Rick and Popuri were really generous and all around good people though, you never would have known that they had a wayward father. The upset feelings that I just knew were lying underneath their composed faces rarely ever showed themselves. Sometimes I would catch Rick staring off into the distance, or Popuri seeming a little down every once and a while. Other than that, they were really good at dealing with all the gossip circulating around them.

Everyone in town knew that Elli was madly in love with Doctor Trent, but he was oblivious to it. She was the grandaughter to one of the oldest citizens in town, Ellen, for who she was named after. Elli had a little brother named Stu who stayed with his grandmother as well. I didn't know what had happened to their parents, but I had a suspicion that they had died in an accident a few years ago, leaving their children in the care of their grandmother.

Doctor Trent had lived here his whole life, and his father had been the doctor for Mineral Town before him. His grandfather had been the town doctor too, and his father before that. Lately he had been coming into the library more often than he had before. He didn't just come on wednesdays anymore, but had taken to coming on weekends as well. I didn't understand why he came so much more often, but at least he was nice, and said hi to me on his way in and goodbye on his way out.

I hated to admit it, but I really was excited for the party. More than I would have cared to admit.

* * *

**A/N: **So what did you guys think? Good or bad? Too long, too short? It was a little over 2,200 words long. So I think that it was okay!  
So how about I make a deal with you? How about I upload the next chapter in a few minutes to make up for the months of waiting time? Deal? Or no deal?  
Oh great, now I'm starting to sound like Howie Mandell.  
Anyways, I hope that it was enjoyable for you. I hope it flows with the story. It should, I wrote it at the same time as everything else. More to come in the next chapter. Maybe we'll even be introduced to Claire . . . ?  
You'll only see if you read the next chapter.  
So favorite, add to story alerts, and click that little yellow speech bubble down there and REVIEW!  
Hours to write, seconds to review.  
You guys are awesome!

- Tweedlebugqueen


	4. Anticipation

Okay guys so here's the next one! Maybe it wasn't posted just a few minutes after the last update, but I have a very logical reason for that. When I promised you that, I had already thought that this chapter was finished! Guess what? It wasn't even close. So I worked on it until really late last night and then a little bit more today and viola! Here it is! This one is a lot longer than I anticipated, so I guess that's why the chapter cuts off pretty abruptly. I had originally intended the party to start in this chapter, but I guess not. So sorry about that one.  
Haha, now that I've probably hurt your brain with my little rant, you can move on to the next chapter of Jealousy! Woo hoo! (:  
Don't forget to 'Review This Chapter' when you've finished!

- Tweedlebugqueen

* * *

**Jealousy**

**Chapter Four: Anticipation**

* * *

It was three days to the party, and Gray never failed to mention how 'stoked' he was for it. Well, I didn't really know what that meant, but I figured it meant something along the lines of excited, which was a good thing.

I was honestly excited too, this would be the first party that I had been to that was for _me_. Usually I got invited to one or two parties a year in Mineral Town, but it was always more fun when the party was in your honor, rather than in someone else's.

I noticed that my parents were acting strangely around me lately, maybe it was the fact that in a year I could possibly be leaving home for good. I doubted that though, I was far too dependent on them to make it out on my own so soon. But there was that strange feeling inside of me, the one that told me I was in between a child and an adult. Last year, I was granted permission to finally date, and if I had been in the city, I would have been able to learn how to drive. Now that I was turning seventeen, I was a year away from being legally an adult. I was in that awkward in-between stage. Gray . . . he was already an adult. He was turning nineteen! He had been an adult for a year now.

Despite the fact that our party was neither on mine or Gray's actual birthday, we had decided to celebrate those days too. On the sixth of winter I had run to the Inn to buy Gray lunch. Gray, Ann, and I had all gone on an outing to the beach (though it was winter, so no swimming ensued) to fish. Once again, I was surprised by Gray. I had no idea how much he enjoyed fishing. He told me that it was one of his favorite past times. It just seemed like he never ceased to amaze me.

He had to teach me how to fish, but Ann knew how to pretty well. She wasn't particularly good at it. We found that out when she didn't catch more than one or two herring, both being less than seven centimeters long. At least she knew how to do it though. Gray spent nearly an hour and a half teaching me how to hold the fishing rod before we could actually begin. It was well worth the lesson though when I caught four large fish and we all had a hearty supper that night.

It seemed that Gray was impatient for the party. I wished I could say as much for myself. I still hoped that something would happen between us when the night came, so it was possible that I was even more restless than he was, which was hardly believable.

"Can you believe that the party is _tomorrow_?" he asked me the day before the party.

We were lounging in his room, he was on his bed and I was laying on the floor. This is how we spent most of the winter days together, just hanging around with each other inside one of our houses or the library. It was a thursday evening, so Gray hadn't had work that day, and I had closed the library early so I could prepare for the party.

We were having the party in the dining room downstairs. Doug had already given us permission, and we were both very happy about it. He had also promised Gray that there would be no gate-crashers at the party, it was one of my father's concerns about the location. The Inn was reserved just for us, and my parents had surprises for the both of us (Gray and I). Life really was going well for me.

Gray and I kept each other company for a few more hours, talking about anything and everything. We talked about random things like our memories, our families, etc. After a while we both decided that we should both get some rest so that we wouldn't be too tired to set up and have the party the next day.

He walked me home, and we were on my porch by nine thirty. We bid each other farewell, and Gray bent close down to me (he was considerably taller than my five feet six inches). My heart started racing in my chest. Was this . . . ?

I was once again disappointed when it turned out to only be a hug. But I embraced him as forcefully as I could, never wanting to let go. I suspected he didn't really feel it though, since he was strong and had huge muscles, and I, well I was weak.

"Tonight was fun, Mary. We really need to just hang out more often," he beamed at me. "Really, I mean it."

"I agree." I said.

He just smiled at me.

"It's dark outside."

I looked up at the stars above us, "So it is. The view is beautiful tonight." I mused.

"Yes it is." he said.

I looked down at him to find him staring at me and blushed. Had he just . . . ?

"Well, good night Mary!" he called over his shoulder as he walked back towards the Inn. He waved to me on his way.

"See you tomorrow!" I called back to him, before retreating into my house.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" my father said from where he sat at the dining room table. He had a steaming mug of hot chocolate in his hand and my novel in front of him.

"No reason," I replied, "is there any more of that?" I asked, pointing to his mug.

"Yes, it's on the stove." he replied.

I walked the short distance to the cupboard and pulled out my favorite mug, placing it on the counter and filling it up with my father's hot chocolate. "Is mum asleep?" I asked absentmindedly as I sat down beside him.

"Yes," he answered, "she's been exhausted lately."

"I can't imagine why."

He looked at me over his reading glasses. "Me either. If it doesn't get any better I'm going to have to make an appointment with Doctor Trent about it."

"I'm sure it won't come to that." I assured him.

He grunted to show that he had heard me as he turned back to the book in front of him. I noticed that he had read a fairly good amount of it. "So are you liking the book?" I asked.

He looked up at me, obviously annoyed. "Yes. It is very good. I am really enjoying it. I would like to get back to reading it now if that is at all possible."

I suppressed the urge to laugh, "I'm sorry. I'll let you get back to reading it now."

"Thank you." he replied haughtily as he turned back to his reading.

I rolled my eyes dramatically at him when I was sure he was no longer paying me any attention. When I finished my hot chocolate I went to the sink and rinsed out my mug. After seeing my father shift in his chair, I could tell that he wanted me to leave so that he could enjoy my book in peace and quiet.

My father didn't usually pay any attention to my writings, but when my mother stressed to him how important it was for a father to show some love for his daughter, he had demanded to read my novel. It hadn't at all been awkward for me to hand it over to him, it wasn't as if I had written anything inappropriate for him or anyone else I knew to read. I think he expected me to be at least a little embarassed that it was a romance novel, but I hadn't been. I think that had impressed him quite a bit.

Looking around the room I could tell that he had been reading for quite some time. All of his plant encyclopedias looked as if they hadn't been touched that day and his field journals were in the same places that they had been when I had left for work that morning. It did surprise me that my father had devoted the entire day to reading my manuscript instead of to his work, but I was also very . . . touched. My father had gone from having very little interest in anything that I had ever written, to dropping a full day of work just so that he could read my first completed novel.

The only thing that had me concerned was that he had been reading in low light. There was no way that I would ever point out to him that this could damage your eyes though, and run the risk of him putting my book down once and for all. So on my way up to my room, I turned on the lamp over the sink and one over the stairs. I climbed the stairs feeling much better knowing that he was reading to more than just a candle on the table.

As I passed my mother and father's room I wondered what had been exhausting my mother lately. She was a stay at home wife who held cooking classes on Saturday mornings and walked to the town square only once a day to talk with her girlfriends. Other than that, my mother put forth little physical activity except for needlepoint and housework. It concerned me that she was nearly always exhausted lately when she did so little to be exhausted from. Maybe my father was right in calling Doctor Trent. I made a mental note not to let her get too carried away in mine and Gray's party tomorrow, I couldn't allow her to overwork herself. All she really needed to worry about was the cake.

I layed in bed, staring at the ceiling. Obviously, I immediately began thinking about Gray and the party the next day.

* * *

Darkness was all I saw. It was quiet and peaceful in my room, but it was extremely dim in here. Then I remembered to open my eyes.

I hadn't realized that I had fallen asleep until I looked at my alarm clock and it said ten oh two in the morning. My mother must have let me sleep in. Either that or she hadn't woken up. Or I had just not heard her when she came in to remind me to open up the library.

At the thought of the library I jumped out of bed. I had overslept! Why in the world had my alarm not gone off?

I ran to my dresser and nearly yanked the drawers out of it as I hurried to collect my clothes for the day. I didn't even need to worry about grabbing two different socks because of the little amount of sunlight peering through the curtains in my window.

I stopped for a second. Why were my curtains drawn? I always kept them open. That was extremely unusual. I only paused for a moment though, deciding that the curtains honestly weren't that big of a deal.

After brushing my stick-straight hair and deciding that a ponytail was much too much labor for this morning, I threw open my bedroom door and ran into the hallway.

"Oomf!"

I had run into something, a warm something, something that nearly toppled over just as I had only a second before.

"You should be more careful to watch where you're hurrying Mary!" my mother chastised me.

Picking up my glasses and pushing them back up my nose I grunted.

Her bunny slippered foot began to tap in annoyance.

"I'm sorry mother, I overslept." I apologized, "I need to go and open the library before someone shows up!"

"It's friday, who on Earth would show up today?"

I scrambled to my feet, not even realizing how angry that remark made me until my nostrils flared.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Gray will come today." I insisted, "I need to open the library."

She rolled her eyes and waved her hand in the air, scoffing at me, "You and that library. Books, books, books, that's all you care about. You need to get your head out of the clouds, Mary and you need to start worrying about more important things than fantasy."

Now that did it.

"How else are we supposed to buy food on mondays? Father barely makes enough money to buy three bags of flour, let alone to pay for our weekly groceries! My library helps keep food on the table! I help provide for our family! It might not be much, but at least it's enough to help us get by!"

She looked at me as if I had just spewed out the longest stream of swear words known to man.

If my father had been there, he would have slapped me across the face for speaking to my mother that way. I would have been told to close the library for a long weekend and that I was to sit in my room and think about what I had done. Her being weak and ill wouldn't have improved the punishment either. He would have been disgusted and ashamed of me for speaking to her like that. It wasn't the way they had raised me. It wasn't the way that sweet, soft-spoken Mary was supposed to react.

But the more that I thought about it, the more I felt justified in what I had said. Here comes my mother in her fuzzy bunny slippers, pink pajama pants, and her green robe telling me that my dreams weren't important, that they were silly even. I had every right to stand up for myself. She might not be feeling well, and I might have just barrelled into her, but she had absolutely no right to speak to me like that. Even if she was the mother and I was the daughter. I respected her, she should at least have the sanity to realize that I deserved respect too.

"Actually honey, your father has tripled our monthly income now that he has been selling the herbs he's found on the Mother's Hill to the doctor. He has really been working hard so that we can live with more luxury, and I would appreciate it if you would give him more credit than you do yourself."

I felt all of my anger slowly slither out of me. My mother was defending my father, and she was being soft about it. She no longer held that angry tone of voice with me that she had used only moments ago. It made me feel ashamed of myself. Of course that didn't change the fact that it was wrong of her to aim a shot at my dream, but she had been irritated with me, and I hadn't even apologized to her for nearly knocking her down the stairs when she was already ill.

Suddenly I barrelled into her again, but softly this time. My arms wound themselves around her arms and my head rested upon her shoulder, I was hugging her.

"I shouldn't have spoken to you that way, I am so sorry. Not only for that, but for not apologizing when I ran into you. I know you haven't felt well lately and I know that I need to give you some credit. I mean, you've raised me for nearly seventeen years with little help from father, who has been devoting his life to his career so that he can put food on the table and keep a roof over our heads. I acted like an ungrateful little heathen for raising my voice at you and I hope that you'll find it in your heart to put it past us." I released my hold on her a little bit, realizing that I might have been squeezing her too hard.

It didn't matter though, because my mother put her arms around me as well and tightened her grip just as I had,

"That's quite alright dear, you thought you were late for work and you were just trying to open the library so that Gray could come and read more of those stories that you seem to have cooped up in there. You really are a brilliant daughter and I do not think that you need to get your head out of the clouds when it is already so firmly placed on your shoulders and down on Earth where it belongs. I am sorry that I practically told you that you were living in a fantasy, that was very rude and very wrong of me."

She released me then, and smiled, "I really enjoyed your novel too, sweetie."

I felt the blush showing on my cheeks and a sense of relief washing over me. "Thank you mothe- Did I just hear you say that I _thought_ I was late for work?"

She blushed then too and said, "Yes, I took the liberty of giving you the day off. Happy birthday." she smiled.

"You turned off my alarm?" I asked.

She nodded.

"You pulled my curtains closed?"

She nodded again.

"You gave me the opportunity to sleep in for once in my life and I jumped out of bed and got dressed anyway?" I asked, annoyed with myself now.

She nodded a third time, "It appears so," she said, "but you can run along and crawl back into that warm and cozy bed of yours for another hour if you want." she offered.

I stared back inito my room longingly, but decided against sleeping any longer. "No," I sighed, "I've already slept in as it is, what's the point of going back to sleep when I'm already up and dressed?"

She shrugged her shoulders at me and made her way back towards her room.

Despite the fact that my mother and I had gotten into a spat, I had a strange feeling that today was going to be a great day.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, so there it is! The fourth chapter of Jealousy! Did you like it? Did you love it? Did you absolutely HATE it? Hopefully not. That would make me sad.  
I can honestly say that this chapter took me _hours _to write. It really should only take you a second or two to leave a review. If you want to make me REALLY happy, it could take you a minute or two and you could leave a long review! Yeah?  
I didn't think so either. Especially since no one reviewed the last chapter either.  
Well I don't blame you if you're mad at me, but at least I didn't cut you off for a few months at a really dramatic moment like this one author I know who has done that to me and four hundred other readers . . . but that's a whole different genre, story, scene, WHATEVER you want to call it! (:  
So . . . thanks for reading!  
Review, review, review! Review, review, review! REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! *Does a rain-like review dance.*  
Hopefully that worked.  
Okay, I guess I'll update as soon as I can! Thanks guys!

- Tweedlebugqueen


	5. Preparation

Hey guys! Another update, really? Seems that I'm in a writing funk right now. A good kind though, I promise. After months of not writing anything for any of my stories I'd call this past week pretty productive. I've written up three new chapters! Even though I hadn't really planned this chapter beforehand, and even if what I wanted to happen didn't end up happening, I am pretty happy with it. There's this thing called 'character development' that's pretty important, and this chapter is pretty much just showing you more of the Gray Mary relationship whatever junk. (: Haha. So . . . I think that's about it for our pre-chapter speech, now you can read, read, read!

- Tweedlebugqueen

* * *

**Jealousy**

**Chapter Five: Preparation**

* * *

Ann and I spent most of that afternoon getting the Inn ready for the party. We had gone to the Market early that morning and had bought all kinds of streamers and party favors. I had bought something special to give to Gray for his birthday and had paid for Karen to wrap it for me. I hoped that she wouldn't spoil the surprise and tell him what it was when he went there later, I had heard he was buying me a present too.

Karen had been extremely curious as to why we were buying all of the party decorations that morning.

"What are all of these streamers and who-dad's for anyway?" she asked me as she rung up our purchases.

"Didn't you know? There's a huge birthday party for Mary and Gray tonight! All of the town's youth are going to be there!" Ann sang.

Karen glared at her, "No."

I sat there and nervously shuffled my feet.

"Yes." Ann said.

Karen rolled her eyes, "I meant 'No, not all of the town youth is going to be at that party tonight,' not that there wasn't going to be a party."

After a few moments of Ann looking puzzled and Karen wrapping up our decorations realization dawned on me.

"Oh my gosh Karen, I am so, so sorry that we forgot to invite you! Honestly, I know that you and Gray are good friends. I don't know how he forgot to add your name to the list of people to invite! You have just as much right as anyone to come. Please, I would feel so bad if you rejected my offer now! You have to come, really." I apologized.

Karen smiled at me kindly, "Don't worry about it Mary. I'm sure that if Gray didn't want to invite me then there was a good reason for it. You don't have to feel bad at all."

Ann brightened up, "See Mary? You don't have to worry about it! Karen will be fine."

I glared daggars at her, "No. I invited Karen. She can come."

Ann shrank away from me, something that no other human had ever done before.

"I'm sorry Ann. I just meant . . ." I trailed off.

"Well if it's going to be that big of a deal then I suppose I'll stop in for a little bit after work, is that all right?" Karen offered.

"Yeah, sure." I had replied.

I hadn't talked to Gray about not inviting Karen yet, but I was sure that it was nothing. He probably just forgot to put her on the list. Gray wasn't a mean person, it had to be a mistake. Right?

"Hey Mary?" I heard Ann say, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Yes Ann?"

She started climbing down from the ladder that she was on, "Do the streamers look good? I didn't know whether gathering them in the middle of the ceiling looked okay or not."

I looked up at the streamers, "Yeah, it looks really good."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," I said, resting my box of decorations on my hip, "but maybe we should hang something from the center? So it doesn't look like we just taped them to the ceiling for no reason."

"Oh! Good idea!" she squealed, running up the stairs really quickly.

I didn't know what she was running to get, but I didn't worry about it. Ann was silly, I was sure that she was probably going to bring down a flower or something to tape to the ceiling. Now that would have been funny.

But I was wrong.

"Here we go!" she called as she jumped down the stairs, two at a time, "A picture of you and Gray!"

I stared at her open mouthed.

"What?" she asked defensively.

"Oh, nothing. That looks good." I said, taking the picture from her to look at it.

There were two pictures in the frame, one from when Gray and I had just become friends, and one from a few months back. In the first one Gray and I were just awkwardly standing side by side with staged smiles painted on our faces. It was a photo that my mother had ordered us to take one day while we were at the beach for the first summer festival of the year. That day had been a good memory.

* * *

_"So Mary," Gray said from his spot on the sand, "have you ever been to this festival before?"_

_I looked around at all of the town dogs with their owners, they were practicing for the frisbee throwing contest. Kai and Rick were across the beach getting ready for the swimming competition. It looked like Rick was annoyed with Kai for showing off his muscles for Popuri._

_"Yes," I sighed, "it's the same every year."_

_He rolled onto his back so that he could face the sun, shielding his eyes from it, "What do you mean?" he asked._

_I sat up, "Well, every year Barley's dog Hannah wins the frisbee throwing competition, Kai makes Rick mad by showing off his stuff right before he wins the swimming competition, Popuri swoons over Kai, and then all the married couples and their children gather around the dock and beach to watch the fireworks."_

_Gray laughed, "Sounds pretty predictable if you ask me."_

_"Yep," I agreed, "it's pretty repetitive."_

_We layed in the sun for a few more minutes before I heard my mother call my name._

_"Mary!" she said, "Gray! I want to get a picture of you two!"_

_Gray looked at me quizzically, I shot him an apologetic smile._

_"Well come on then," he stood, extending his hand for me to grab so that he could pull me up, "Let's take a picture!"_

_I smiled and we ran off towards my mother and father, kicking the sand up as we went._

* * *

"This is a good picture." I said, showing Ann the first photo in the frame.

She looked at me strangely, "Looks kind of forced if you ask me."

I frowned, "Yeah, kind of."

Ann laughed, taking the frame from me, "I like the second one much better."

I stared up at the photo she was talking about while she tied a string to the frame and taped it into the center of all the streamers. It was a good photo, but nothing really special. There wasn't really a story that went along with it. It was just Gray and I in front of the library with his arm hung around my shoulder and a lopsided grin on his face. My smile was very shy and my face was bright red.

"Looks like _he_ said something embarrassing before this was taken." she added with a laugh.

I laughed along nervously with her.

My mother had always been one for pictures, she loved them. If there was even a remotely good moment happening my mother would always rush in with her camera and yell, 'Say cheese!' to her unsuspecting victims.

Gray and I had been attacked by her camera more times than I could count.

Suddenly I remembered why I had been so red faced when this picture was taken. Gray had jokingly said, 'Smile at the camera beautiful!' He thought it was funny, I had just been embarrassed. He didn't know I had a crush on him then, but him calling me beautiful was enough to make my face as red as a tomato.

I wondered why he had framed those two photos. My mother had to have taken millions of other pictures, but I wondered what was so special about these ones that he would stick them in a frame together. It had me puzzled for quite a while.

"Ta da!" Ann chimed, wiggling her fingers maniacally.

I just stared up at her curiously.

"What?" she asked, "You've never seen spirit fingers before?"

That made me giggle, "Oh Ann . . ."

She just sort of frowned at me for a few seconds before jumping off of her ladder. "Don't you like the decorations?" she asked.

"Yes I do, they look very lovely."

She only frowned a little more.

"Did you get the record player?" I asked awkwardly.

Suddenly her face lit up like a lightbulb, "Yes! And all of the very best records that I know everyone will love! This is going to be a crazy dance fest!"

Just then Gray walked in throught the front doors of the Inn, little droplets of water covering his hat and jacket. "Did I just hear the words 'crazy dance fest'?"

"Yep." Ann nodded very animatedly.

He sighed, "Well okay then. Good luck getting anyone to dance."

Ann laughed as if he had told a very hilarious joke.

"What?" I asked, "What's so funny?"

Ann choked mid-laugh, "Nothing."

I looked at her skeptically.

"Really! Nothing!"

I glanced at Gray, who just shrugged his shoulders at me and turned to walk up the stairs. When I turned to face Ann again though, she was gone, the door to her father's kitchen closing behind her.

Now seemed as good a time as any to see what Gray was up to.

I timidly knocked on his door when I reached his room.

"What?" Gray answered rudely.

That threw me off, "It's just me."

I was surprised when Gray flung open the door and went to lay facedown on his bed.

"Um . . . is there something the matter?" I inquired.

Gray sighed in annoyance, "Yes Mary, something is definitely 'the matter' as you put it."

I walked towards him slowly, sitting down on Cliff's unoccupied bed to face him. "What's wrong?"

He shocked me then, turning around abruptly to face me with a horrible glare fixed on his face. "You invited Karen at the last minute and didn't even speak to me about it."

"I didn't know it was a problem." I mumbled sadly.

He sighed, the anger slowly draining from his expression. "I'm sorry Mary, Karen and I just . . . well, we just don't exactly get along."

"Why not?"

He glared at me again.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, standing up to leave, "I should probably go and help Ann with the refreshments. You look like you need some personal space anyway. . . ."

As I was on my way out the door, Gray stopped me. Sighing again, he said, "Karen and I went out a couple of times. We had a nasty fight about her drinking problem, and I haven't spoken to her since. She said some pretty rude things and I decided that I no longer wanted to be around her."

Turning around to face him I said, "Well I didn't know. You didn't tell me."

"And I should have."

"Yes," I agreed, "you should have. I'm sorry that I didn't ask you why Karen hadn't been invited, but I probably would have invited her anyway. It isn't fair to invite all of the town youth except for one person. I know that she probably _was_ rude to you, but I also know that I would be extremely hurt had I been the only one not invited to a party that all of my friends and acquaintances were attending."

Gray's brow nearly reached from out of view behind his UMA cap when I had finished my little speech. "Wow Mary," he said, "I had no idea you cared about Karen that much."

"I don't really, I would say the same for anyone else in the town. Popuri, Doctor Trent, Eli . . ."

"I know, I know." he laughed, "I'm only giving you a hard time. Now let's say we make our way down to this double party, alright?"

"Of course." I agreed, and we both smiled at each other before making our way back down the stairs towards the sound of the record player playing one of Ann's favorite songs.

* * *

**A/N:** So yeah, kind of a filler chapter right? I wanted to continue with this one and lead it into the party but there were a few reasons why I chose not to go that route:  
1. I couldn't find any way to do that without the story flowing. This chapter would have sounded extremely choppy had I not ended it here.  
2. I don't generally like writing five thousand word chapters, which is what this one would have ended up being. I really want to keep the whole birthday party in _one_ chapter, just because it's so important.  
3. Aside from the chapter being too long, I think that the party deserves it's own chapter. Yeah, it's that big.  
4. I am the author of this story and I can do whatever I please. (:

So it looks like you're going to have to wait yet another chapter before you get to read all about the party. But think about it this way, you are just a few steps closer to some action! And then you'll be happy with me, I promise.  
Just another note: I will be gone pretty much all of next week. I'll be home tomorrow and then I will leave until Saturday, so I don't really know if I'll be able to finish the next chapter in time for you to read it while I'm gone. But I promise I will try my best to write it. I do have plans tomorrow though so I honestly don't know if I'll be able to manage it. :S  
Okay, so I think that's about it for tonight. Don't start thinking that I'm going to be updating every day now though, because I won't be. This is just a very rare circumstance that I have decided to create haha.  
AND JUST SO EVERYONE KNOWS . . . I have written three new chapters and haven't received a single review! How horrible is that? I must be making you readers angry or something. Either that or you've decided to unnecessarily wound me with your silent-ness. My proposal? REVIEW!

Okay, rant officially over.  
- Tweedlebugqueen


	6. Thunderstorms

Yo.  
So today I was skimming through the Harvest Moon entries here on this website, and it sparked a little inspiration inside of me! So I sat down a few hours ago and began the next installment of: _Jealousy _which means, chapter six is now available to you! Congratulations. I hope you enjoy it, I hope it isn't what you've been expecting (I just love surprises, don't you?) Just so you know beforehand, this chappie is just a tad bit dramatic, okay it's kind of a HUGE drama-fest 2010, but I love a bit of drama in stories like this. And this story is mainly being written for my own entertainment, considering the fact that no one has really commented since I posted chapter one. . . . OH WELL, let's get on with the show!  
~ Tweedlebugqueen

* * *

**Jealousy**

**Chapter Six: Thunderstorms**

* * *

The party was in full swing and everyone was having a really great time it seemed. Karen had shown up afterall, much to Gray's dismay. It turned out that he had nothing to worry about in the end, however, when Karen spent most of her time at the bar with Rick and Popuri.

Everyone who had been invited to participate in the festivities had shown up, even Harris, who I had harbored serious doubts of participation. But he surprised me immensely when he waltzed through the door when the party was expected to begin.

It was now midnight, the party had been raging for hours, and it didn't seem like anyone was planning on leaving anytime soon. I was honored to have a party last that long, people would be talking about this for weeks!

The night had started off kind of slow, only Harris, Ann, and Cliff had shown up on time, but Ann and Cliff lived where the party was hosted, so it wasn't very impressive that they had even shown up at all. Rick, Popuri, and Karen had shown up soon after them, and Elli escorted Doctor Trent inside just as the door had begun to swing shut. Presents had been brought out of jackets and set on the tables, the cake had been cut and devoured within minutes, birthday songs were sung all around, and the bar helped supply the jesters with plenty of jokes.

After Doug had finally closed the bar for the night at twelve-thirty, saying that he needed some rest and that we had all had enough as it was (he looked pointedly at Karen, who was nearly passed out drunk on the floor), Ann rushed up to the record player and put on the latest dance music, swinging her hips and her head madly while trying not to fall. She had clearly had enough to drink as well, though I hadn't seen her order anything at the bar.

A few moments passed in silence, everyone watching Ann and Karen drunk-dance before anyone else decided to join in. Doctor Trent asked Elli quietly if she would like to accompany him on the dancefloor followed by Rick jumping in to help Karen with the lively quickstep that she seemed to be dancing alone. Harris walked quietly over and slipped in beside Ann, who welcomed his company gladly, reaching for his hand and jerking him close to her in the same instant he got close enough for her to touch.

That left Gray, Cliff, Popuri, and I to just stand there awkwardly and watch everyone dance their hearts out. It made me a little queasy to watch the drunken girls with their partners. I preferred to watch Doctor and Elli dance, because they weren't falling over themselves every other second. I vowed never to get that drunk, and be smart like the doctor and his nurse. It went without saying that I liked to go throughout my days without being the talk of the town, I avoided making a fool of myself at all costs.

I guess that it was a huge benefit to everyone here, then, that none of the town gossips had been invited. Even my parents, who had been here at the beginning of the party, had retired to our house after a few short hours.

Popuri was fidgeting in her seat at a nearby table, she had partaken of too much cake earlier, and was still sitting where she had been most of the night.

Cliff shuffled his feet awkwardly next to me, I wondered if he felt uncomfortable, if he felt an obligation to ask one of us girls to dance with him. I smiled to myself at the though, Cliff was much to shy to ask anyone to dance. But that didn't mean that us girls didn't have the guts.

She must not have been suffering from a stomach-ache anymore, because soon after the thought had occurred to me that I should ask Cliff to dance, Popuri jumped out of her seat, ran over to where we were sitting at the bar, and grabbed Cliff's hand excitedly, dragging him out onto the dancefloor without a word.

Gray chuckled behind me, nearly making me fall out of my chair.

"Don't do that!" I exclaimed, holding my hand against my heart to make sure it was still beating.

He just ignored my comment and blushed. "And then there were two." he murmered.

We sat there in silence for a few moments, I guess we were each waiting for the other to ask us to dance. Or at least, I was waiting for _him_ to ask me to dance. I hadn't a clue as to what he was thinking or feeling.

I found out not a moment later when Gray took my hand shyly and asked me to dance.

I merely smiled in response, "Well come on then." he blushed.

As we entered the dancefloor, I caught a glimpse of the other couples around us. Trent and Elli were dancing up a storm, neither one of them having even had a sip to drink, so they probably looked the best out of all of us. Rick seemed to be holding Karen up by her underarms, he was dragging her over to the table that Popuri had just vacated. Speaking of Popuri, she seemed to have gotten Cliff to laugh - though nervously - as they spun around in circles. I suspected neither of them knew how to dance very well. Ann and Harris were at the bar, Ann withdrew a key from her overalls and handed him a bottle of champagne. I distinctly heard her say that he had not had nearly enough to drink that night. The party was nearly out of control.

But I didn't care, I had the company of Gray Smith to keep me entertained.

Gray wasn't a very good dancer, I came to realize. He shuffled his feet around awkwardly and shook his head to make up for his lack of moves. Luckily for him, I was not a good dancer myself, and merely just swayed my hips back and forth feverishly, twirling myself around occasionally.

A clap of thunder sounded overhead, followed by a shrill scream.

Everyone stopped dancing and turned to stare at Popuri, who had her hands covering her ears and looked petrified.

Karen laughed, followed by Rick. Soon everyone was laughing, even Popuri chimed in after a while. It seemed that rain had begun outside, which was a lot better than more snow, in my opinion.

The dancing slowly resumed, and Cliff sat with Popuri at the same table as Rick and Karen. They were talking animatedly about their mutual fear of thunderstorms. I was glad to see that Cliff had made a new friend in town. I smiled at the thought that Popuri was socializing with a boy other than Kai, who wasn't a very stable boyfriend for her to have.

After some convincing from Harris, Gray even took a few swigs of champagne here and there, and with each swig came a new dance move. I found out that I had been quite wrong about Gray's ability to dance, he had just been too sober to show off his skills. He soon had me catching my breath between loops and spins and pretzels. It was overwhelming me and I feared that soon I would collapse with all of the activity, but the high powered music slowly faded out, and Ann put on an 'ooey-gooey love kanoodle thinger thing' on for everyone to listen to. I nearly died laughing after she said that, but Gray held me close as the song began to play, staring into my eyes.

"I love this song," he murmured quietly, with just a fraction of a slur.

Surprisingly, I didn't mind that he was a little tipsy, I was more preoccupied with the fact that we weren't even an inch apart. I could feel his warm breath on my face as he held me in place.

Doctor and Elli had meandered away from the dance floor and were talking in hushed tones over by the door, Rick and Karen were off in the corner, it looked like they were kissing, and Popuri was sleeping on Cliff's lap over by the staircase. Ann and Harris had both disappeared, though I had no idea where. Before I could look around to investigate further, Gray had my face in both of his hands.

Surprised, I turned to look at him. He seemed happy once my attention was back to him, and he embraced me in a hug as he began to sway back and forth. After a violent blush had made it's way onto my cheeks, I accepted the hug and soon he was whispering the lyrics softly into my ear.

Another clap of thunder sounded, and the Inn doors burst open. Wind flew in all around us, and a young girl staggered into the place before collapsing on the floor.

Silence fell around the room for about five seconds before Doctor Trent and Elli did anything.

They rushed to the young woman's side and barked orders at everyone to calm down, (only then did I realize that Popuri had been startled awake and was now crying hysterically, begging to know whether or not the girl was _dead_. Ann had also begun crying, but I suspected that half of her emotion was because of the alcohol in her system).

"Ann, stop your snivelling and get me some ice water, we can't take the poor girl out in this weather!" Trent practically yelled over the wind, "And would someone _please_ close the door!"

Gray rushed forward, letting go of me all too quickly, and struggled with the rattling Inn doors. Harris accompanied him only minutes later when it became apparent that Gray could not do the job himself.

"Miss, are you alright? Can you hear me? Everything is going to be fine." Elli was saying to the woman lying on the floor.

Ann rushed over with the ice water, her hands shaking violently and half of the water on the floor as a result of it. The loss of water didn't seem to bother the doctor though as he took it from her and dipped his handkerchief in it.

As Elli placed the cool, wet cloth on the girl's forhead, Cliff suggested that someone move her upstairs into the empty room.

Rick and Gray stepped forward with outstretched arms, ready to carry her up the steps.

"We really shouldn't move her. . . ." Trent said slowly, "It won't do anything to help her condition."

Gray rolled his eyes, "Would it do any harm?"

Elli spoke up then, speaking over the doctor, "It's alright to move her, she should wake up after a little rest."

Rick bent down first and swooped her up in one gesture, but staggered on the spot when he straightened himself out. Gray helped him on the other side, though I knew from experience that he could have done the job on his own. I walked to his side and asked if there was anything I could help with.

"Go upstairs and open the door to her room, if you could turn down the bedding on the bed closest to the heater, that would be great too. We won't have to shuffle her around as much, I don't want to disturb her."

I nodded my head and dashed up the stairs to do as he asked immediately. In passing I saw that Karen was now trying to get up from her chair, but Cliff and Popuri were keeping her and Ann at the table she was seated in. All of the girls seemed to be upset besides Elli, who was just as calm and collected as Doctor Trent himself.

Moments after the bed had been turned down Gray entered the room with the blonde in his arms. It seemed that he had abruptly taken her from Rick and ran up the stairs before the latter could do anything about it, because Rick entered the room red-faced only seconds after Gray.

He set her down in the bed and pulled up a chair, taking a seat beside her and holding her hand. I would have been extremely jealous if this were not a dire situation. The fact that the girl had yet to wake up kept me from envying her at all. Gray was a very sweet man, it was only to be expected that he would sit by her side until she woke up . . . right?

* * *

The girl's name was Claire, or at least that's what Doctor had told us after checking her driver's liscence. She was eighteen, one year older than I was, an adult. We didn't know much else about her except that she was an organ donor, that she was an average height of five feet, six inches, and that under her still-closed eyelids, her eye color was blue.

No solid information of where she came from, what she was doing in Mineral Town, or what had lead her to the Inn at this time of night.

Elli had pushed everyone out of Claire's room only moments after declaring that she had a mild case of hypothermia, and that she needed to get out of her wet clothes. Gray was reluctant at first, but soon nodded his understanding when Doctor Trent emphasized that Claire would need to change her clothes to get warm again. Even Gray, who was a lot less shy than he had once been couldn't stop the blush from gracing his cheeks and neck when Trent had said that.

Ann was the only one allowed in with Elli to help find a nightdress for Claire, and to help her get changed.

* * *

Outside it had begun to snow again, a horrible blizzard that looked like it might last for days replaced the slight thunderstorm that had been when Claire entered the Inn. None of us looked forward to spending a day or so locked in the Inn, but after having been awoken, Doug exclaimed that the weather warning on the radio had said that the storm would most likely last for at least two days, and we all were forced to get comfortable downstairs until Claire woke up. Doctor Trent said that the girls needed to stay out of their designated room until Elli could explain to Claire what had happened. No need to unnecessarily upset her.

Luckily for us girls, the guys who stayed here at the Inn offered up their room to us, and they helped Doug pull some spare mattresses from the confines of his room to set up in the main dining room.

So that left Karen, Ann, Popuri and I to fight over the three beds that occupied the small room. _Oh joy_, I thought to myself as Ann, Karen, and Popuri began quarreling about who would be most unfortunate and would have to sleep on the floor.

"You should sleep on the floor, you're the _drunkest_!" Ann was yelling fiercely at Karen.

"Well you live here, don't the rules say that guests come first?" Karen countered with a heavy slurr.

Popuri collapsed on the nearest bed and promptly began to sob.

"STOP IT!" I yelled.

Karen and Ann just turned to stare blankly at me, while Popuri's sobs quieted somewhat.

"You two are acting like spoiled brats! Karen, you are acting so selfish it isn't even funny. Ann, you _live_ here! Your father's room is just downstairs, why can't you just go down there and share with him tonight? If it bothers the both of you so much, let me change first and _I_ can go downstairs with the guys!"

Popuri lifted her head off of the mattress then, gaping at me.

Ann was the first one to speak, "Sleep . . . with the . . . boys?" she was astounded.

"Not _sleep with them_. Sleep in close proximity to them!" I said, "They have enough mattresses down there to spare an extra. They did the smart thing and pushed them all together to make one big bed, I saw Cliff and Rick finish doing so when I went to wake Doug about Claire."

Karen laughed then, a druken laugh that creeped me out, "Then that's what we have ta do!" she exclaimed loudly.

"Do what?" Popuri asked.

"Push the beds together!" Ann finished for Karen.

And we all got to work trying to move the beds together. After we managed it, we all changed into some nightclothes that Ann had brought for us. (She had quite the collection of nightdresses and pajamas, we came to find out.)

When the three girls next to me finally fell asleep, I prepared myself for a long few days.

* * *

**A/N:** Whew, I'm glad that's over with. While writing this, I sort of just let the story tell itself. I didn't really plan ahead with this one, knowing that the drama would just flow out of me (since I deal with so much of it in my everyday life) and I think it turned out really well! I hadn't really planned any of this to be honest with you, except for Claire staggering in and collapsing just when Mary and Gray start to get close, (I'm such a stinker, aren't I?)  
So yeah, there's chapter six of _Jealousy_, I hope you liked it.  
Something I've come to find with writing, is that sometimes you are let down. I've practically been begging for reviews and favorites for quite a while now, and nothing has come of it. I really began to feel discouraged until this afternoon when I saw one writer who had only seven reviews for her story, and it was one of the best stories I have ever read on this website. I went to her profile and saw that she writes just to please herself, and if it pleases others along the way, then that's great! If not, oh well, at least she enjoyed writing it. I really admired her mentality, and I've decided to try and be more like her. I don't know if anybody is reading this story, or if you all just abandoned me at chapter one, but I'm going to continue writing anyway . . . though I would appreciate reviews you know. Just like any writer appreciates feedback.  
So there's my rant for this chapter, it seems I always have one in store for you right? Next chapter may or may not be up soon, we'll see.  
Much love,  
Tweedlebugqueen (:


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